Taping tool



Nov. 17,1959 F. w. KARNES TAPING TOOL Filed Nov. 17, 1958 JNVENTOR. W {VG/Z 77/65 United States TAPING TOOL Frank W. Karnes, Detroit, Mich. Application November 17, 1958, Serial No. 774,488

2 Claims. (Cl. 72-136) The invention pertains to a tool adapted for use in finishing dry walls in buildings. More specifically, the tool is adapted for use in filling interstices at the juncture of two adjoining wall panels with a cement or a similar filler and smoothing the respective substance within the juncture till it is flush with the surface of the panels,

The tool is also adapted for another operation in the course of finishing said walls. As one step of such an operation, it is customary to apply a smooth paper band lengthwise over the marginal portions of two adjoining panels along the line of the juncture and over the cement within the spacing between said adjoining panels. The band is provided with a plurality of small apertures. When the blade is drawn over the band and pressed towards the plane of the panels, some of the cement covered by the band is squeezed outwardly and is spread evenly over the band and over the edges of the band so that the edges of the band are covered by cement and the cement surface merges with the surface of the panels.

Up to now this work had been done with the aid of a tool, including a handle and a fiat blade, disposed in the plane of the axis of the handle. In application of the tool to a wall, it was necessary to hold the blade at a sharp angle towards the wall, crosswise of the juncture of two panels, and to draw the blade lengthwise over said juncture. In this operation the handle was held in the hollow of the operators hand, and in order to get the best operative angle of the blade towards the wall, the operator would use his thumb to press the blade towards the wall. This was tiresome and required so much elfort that at times the thumb would swell and become sore.

It was in order to overcome this difiiculty in holding the blade in the right position and at the right angle, that I have devised my tool. The tool has been designed to be operated by two hands at the same time for which purpose the tool has two handles. One serves as a means to impart to the tool a longitudinal movement, the other serving as a means for flexing the blade to its best operative position.

I shall now describe my improvement with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the tool;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. I;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4'--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the tool as it is held during its operative use;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one component member of the tool;

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The tool includes a channel shaped holder 10. The holder has a thick back wall 11, and two thick parallel side walls 12 and 12a, the ends of the holder being open. Each of the side walls is defined along its marginal portion by a slanting face 13, the face of one sidewall slanting towards the face of the other side wall.

One of the side walls which is marked 12 and which will be called the upper side wall, is provided, intermediate its ends, with a threaded socket 14, and with a number of threaded bores 15 which are aligned in a spaced relation to each other as best shown in Fig. 6. The socket 14 serves for reception of a handle 16 which at one end includes a threaded stud 17 adapted to fit into said socket.

The back portion 11 of the holder contains a similar or second socket 18 which is threaded for engagement with one end 19 of another handle 20. The two handles 16 and 20 are disposed at right angle to each other as shown in Fig. 1.

The other side wall 12a, which will be called the lower side wall of the holder, contains, intermediate its length, a single threaded bore 21 for reception of a short screw 22 which projects above the inner surface of said wall 12a. 7

Fitting into the holder is one side of a rectangular blade 23. The blade, which is rectangular in shape and thin enough to be flexible, contains in the portion which fits into the holder an aperture 24 (Fig. 4), for engagement with the top portion of the screw 22. The blade is of a width to extend from one end of the holder. to

' the other, its edge within the holder being in abutment with the inner surface of the back portion 11 of the holder as best shown in Fig. 4. Disposed upon that portion of the blade which fits into the holder is a stiifener 25 which consists of a U-shaped member, including a bar 26, and two parallel arms 27. One of the arms extends from one end of the bar while the other arm extends in the same direction from the other end of the bar as shown in Fig. 8. The bar 26 contains in its upper surface a groove 29 extending from one end of the bar to the other. When placed over the blade, the bar 26 bears against the inner surface of the back portion 11 of the holder as shown in Fig. 3 while the arms 27 project from the holder over the side marginal portions of the blade to a distance of approximately one third of the length of the blade.

For the purpose of keeping the stiffener in its place and for the purpose of clamping the blade against the lower side wall 12a of the holder, I use a number of bolts 30. Each of them includes a threaded upper end portion 31 which is adapted to fit into the respective bore 15 in the upper side wall 12 of the holder, while the lower end of each bolt is tapered to fit into the groove 29 as shown in Fig. 6.

When the tool is assembled for operation, it includes the holder 10, the two handles 16 and 20, the stiffener 25 and the blade 23. which is held in place by the stiffener and the bolts 30.

The manner in which the tool is to be used is illustrated in Fig. 7 which discloses two panels 40 and a narrow spacing 41 therebetween along the line of their juncture. According to the acceptable practice, the open space between the two panels has to be filled with a suitable filler such as cement. When this has been done, it becomes necessary to impart a smooth finish to the cement to have it flush with the broad surfaces of the panels. For this purpose the blade of the tool is held against the panels crosswide to the length of, the line of their juncture at an angle to approximate as much as possible a parallel position of the outer portion of the blade to the surface of the panels.

When a tool with a single handle is used for the purpose, the operator will hold the handle within the hollow of his palm, will apply the blade against the juncture of the panels and hold the blade at a sharp angle tothe surface of the panels. However, in order to effect a pressure against the panels and to flex the blade to its best operative position, it becomes necessary for him to press the blade against the wall by means of the thumb of the hand in which he holds the tool.

It was to overcome the drawbacks already described herein that I have devised a tool with two handles and a stiffener which eliminates the use of the thumb or other finger for the purpose of flexing the blade to its best operative angle. As made by me, the tool may be moved over the line of juncture of the adjoining panels by means of handle 16, which may be held in one hand as shown in Pig. 7, while the other handle 2%] will serve to flex the blade 73. For this purpose, it may be considered that the holder forms a fulcrum and that while the holder is held in a spaced portion to the surface of the panels 44), a pull on the handle 20 towards the operator, that is, away from the panels, will press the outer portion of the blade into an approximately parallel position with the panels as shown in Fig. 7.

While the blade shown in the drawings is of the same thickness from end to end, it may be desirable to have the outer portion remote from the holder, tapered in thickness towards its operative outer edge marked 23a. It will be understood that some other changes may be made in the structure of the tool without departing from the inventive concept disclosed herein. What I, therefore, wish to claim is as follows:

1. A taping tool including a channel-shaped holder having two parallel side walls and an integrally connected back portion, a flexible rectangular plate having the marginal portion of one end disposed within the holder in abutment with the back portion thereof, a U-shaped stiffener fitting over the blade, the stiffener including a straight bar in parallel abutment with the back portion of the holder, and two side arms extending at right angle from the bar and outwardly of the holder over the side marginal portions of the blade but terminating short of the outer end thereof, a handle secured to one side wall at right angle thereto, and a second handle secured to the back portion and extending therefrom at right angle to the first named handle, and bolt means threaded through apertures in one side wall for engagement with the stiffener to clamp the plate against the opposite sidewall of the holder.

2. A taping tool including a straight channel-shaped handle having two parallel side walls in a spaced relation to each other and an integrally formed back portion, a flexible blade having the form of an oblong rectangle including a front end and a rear end and defined in part by two parallel side edges, the rear end of the blade being disposed within the holder in a parallel abutment with the back portion thereof, a U-shaped stiffener fitting over the blade, the stiffener including a straight bar disposed within the holder and fitting over the rear end of the blade and two side arms extending at right angle from the bar outwardly of the holder to a distance short of the mid-length of the blade, a handle secured to one side wall at right angle thereto, and a second handle secured to the back portion and extending therefrom at right angle to the first named handle, and bolt means threaded through apertures in one side wall for engagement with the stiffener to clamp the plate against the opposite sidewall of the holder.

No references cited. 

